medieval music notation
Ars nova Notation
6 sessions
Online
Course Description
The fourteenth century witnessed a growing interest in measuring things; this went hand in hand, for example, with the invention of the mechanical clock and the consequent installation of many public clocks in cities all over Europe, but also with notable advances in the study of astronomy, mathematics and computus. Johannes de Muris, himself a proficient astronomer and mathematician, devised a new system of music notation based on a new arrangement of note values and interrelationships. Although he took the traditional notational figures developed in the late-13th and early-14th centuries, his system finally allowed (he claims) to notate anything that can be sung.
This system, traditionally considered to be the classical form of 14th-century notation and used in the works by Guillaume de Machaut among others, is the focus of this course, though other related forms of notation such as that used in the well-known Roman de Fauvel, Marchettus of Padua’s ‘Italian’ notation, and the late developments of the so-called Ars subtilior will also be studied.
In this course, students will:
Learn the precepts of 14th-century notation from contemporary treatises
Study the different notational developments throughout the 14th century
Explore several different monophonic and polyphonic repertoires of the period
Apply the rules to actual musical compositions
Transcribe pieces into modern notation
Sight read from original sources
Instructor:
Raúl Lacilla
COURSE INFO
DATES & DURATION
February 17 to June 9, 2025
6 sessions
Location
Online
Price 1.5 credits
1.5 credit ECTS: 340€
Languages
English - Spanish
Prerequisites
Student must have basic musical knowledge and be able to read modern music notation.
Syllabus
Session 1 | Post-Franconian notation and the Roman de Fauvel
Session 2 | The gradus system
Session 3 | The notation of ligatures
Session 4| Colouration and syncopation
Session 5 | The Italian trecento
Session 6 |The Ars subtilior
Teaching Methodology
This course will be comprised of:
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- 6 tutorial videos of 20-35 minutes each (total 3.5 hours)
- 6 recorded lectures of 45 minute each (total 4.5 hours)
- 3 biweekly live Q&A sessions of 1hour and 15 minutes each (total 3.5 hours) conducted through the course. The sessions will be recorded so that students can access them at any time.
- Downloadable materials and links to additional resources
Schedules and assignments:
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- The course is self-paced.
- The majority of pre-recorded video lessons, lectures, and study materials will be posted on the first day of the term.
- Students will have access to all session and their materials until the last day of the term.
- The student workload to review the materials and complete the assignments is approximately 6.25 hours per session
- There will be some suggested deadlines to submit assignments
- Homework will be accepted until a week before the end of the term
- Students taking the course for credit must complete all assignments and class requirements
Technical Requirements
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- Broadband Internet connection / WIFI
- External or internal webcam
- External or internal microphone
- Speakers or headphones
- Possibility of printing downloaded materials
- Possibility of scanning your assignments
- Possibility of auto-recording (audio and video)
Enroll Now
Places are limited for each section, so sign up early.